


An Unfinished Lullaby

by crowind



Series: Neo Fantasy Orthogonalia [1]
Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Crack Fic, Gen, based on the Neo Fantasy Online event story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 15:01:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15560346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowind/pseuds/crowind
Summary: When the band can't defeat a powerful monster standing in the way, Yukina must confront her dark past. [A Song Unfinished remix]





	An Unfinished Lullaby

They fished Sayo out last, or rather, someone – most likely Sister Imai – had finally noticed Sayo hadn't resurfaced and alerted Acolyte Udagawa. The dregs of the dead rose one last time to spit out Sayo, a meat too lukewarm to swallow. She was discovering bones she hadn't been aware of in their wreckage thereof, especially the ones named pride. Hina, she thought, wouldn't have suffered this… this however she ended up falling off a cliff. She could see it, Hina dancing, laughing, taunting, until finally bored, she took her sword to the monster. Is that all? she would say, and because it was Hina, she would be sincerely disappointed. And there Sayo would be, coughing water, feebly crawling to a higher ground. 

Dimly, she registered familiar voices. Noises, really; she travelled with some very noisy people. "Hey, hey, Sayo, still with us? Rinko, Ako, help me turn her around." 

"No," Sayo gurgled, more water than word, and taking that as encouragement, the two mages flipped her around so that Sayo could scowl at them. It did help; and so did Imai's healing magic. 

"Is she all right?" Udagawa, chipper as if nothing had happened. Before anyone could reply, she said, "Huh, something's missing." Then footsteps retreating. 

"S-Shirokane," Sayo said hoarsely. Somehow Shirokane understood, and followed the other mage. That left Sayo alone with Imai, who was quiet for once. Though she had always been quiet when she needed to concentrate. 

"I don't see Minato. Is she…" Sayo said, a little unnecessarily – Imai wouldn't have started on the others while Minato still needed her. 

"Yukina's fine, she just went to have a look. There's something she wanted to check." 

More silence. Sayo kept track of time by the pain still haranguing her. With most of it gone, she was starting to get drowsy… 

"Oi, Sayo, you're not sleeping on me, are you?" 

She started, but Imai held her down easily, laughing. "I haven't said sorry, have I? You took that hit for me." 

Her tone was casual, but when Sayo peered up Imai couldn't quite meet her eyes. _It's my job_ and _I did it on my own accord_ were on the tip of her tongue, but she only said, "You healed me, so we're even now." 

"Ahaha… about that… There's not much I can do for your leg right now." 

Sayo raised herself, painstakingly propped on her elbows, lifted her headignoring Imai's soft protests. The right leg was fine, but the left was a bloody mess, thin and hollow under the bandages. 

"It's going to be fine!" Imai quickly said. "I've got it stabilized, but it's going to take a while to fully heal it. And, uh, you probably shouldn't exert yourself yet." 

It took all Sayo's self-control not to groan. She angrily had a look: the river, the not-insurmountable valley they were in, and somewhere nearer the sky, the monster that had denied the merry little band their progress. There wasn't much to look at. 

Calmer now, Sayo said, "More importantly, earlier you said check, as though you have been here before." More unnecessary chatter, but Sayo had to admit, at least to herself, that Imai had made it easy. Imai made a lot of things easy. 

"Nothing gets past you, does it," Imai said ruefully. "But it's close enough. We got lost here once, Yukina and I – I don't even remember what we were chasing! So Yukina's father had to look for us. Uh, don't tell her I told you that." 

"I'm not in the habit of gossiping," Sayo said. And in any case, one had to be blind to not see that the subject of her father was verboten to Minato. Avenging her father was the personal motivation they'd been given as part of the proposition to embark on this quest together. The vagueness suited Sayo well. As far as she was concerned, personal business only became hers when it affected the party under her care. 

Minato returned some time later, looking no worse for the wear. She even retained her hat, and her lute, all strings miraculously unbroken. 

Minato gave Sayo a once over, then apparently satisfied she was in one piece, said to Imai, "You were right." 

Imai clasped her hands together. "Then let's – " 

"No." 

"But Sayo needs – " 

Sayo, who could speak for herself, interjected, "Nothing, I am in want of nothing. We're wasting enough time as it is." Slowly, and ignoring Imai's frown, she stood, careful to favor her left side as much as she tried to not show it. 

Her hand unconsciously drifted to the sword by her side – and rested on empty air where the hilt should be. At the same time, Udagawa yelled, "Aha, found it!" Sayo whirled around just in time to see a misshapen, sorry mass bursting out of the water, belching something that caught the sun. Sayo's sword fell from the sky and stabbed the ground, a hair's breadth away from severing her fingers. 

Sayo gingerly grabbed the hilt and gave it a few swings – to shake off the rest of the water, and also undead filth. Her voice didn't waver as she said, "Therefore, we should proceed immediately." 

Imai held up her hands. "Please don't take this wrong. As happy as I am to see you all healthy and gung-ho, I don't think we're ready to face that monster this soon." 

As it was the truth, Sayo ignored its sting. "Then what do you suggest?" 

"Well… I was going to suggest we find some place to rest, strategize… you know?" 

"We can do that here," Minato said. 

Udagawa and Shirokane had rejoined them, the former waving excitedly. "Oh, Rinrin can help! Rinrin, do that thing you showed me yesterday." 

"B-but…" 

Minato said kindly, "If it would help us we'd be so obliged." 

"Um… please stand back… just in case…" 

Shirokane closed her eyes. Her lips moved wordlessly, then her fingers started weaving invisible threads – 

Fire roared in the space they had vacated, a towering beast of tusks and fangs. And feathers, apparently. Sayo hadn't remember the feathers. But then Shirokane's attention to details was wholly hers, and no one else's. She had it down to the fear it inspired… not that the others needed to know. 

"Yeah, what do you think?" Imai said after a while. 

"It still looks tough," Udagawa groused, "I can't find its weakness at all." 

Suddenly, it roared. Sayo's hand flew to her sword instinctively, but the monster simply vanished. "S-sorry," Shirokane whispered. 

Minato shook her head. Frowning at the sky, she said, "It might be true that… we're too weak right now… but that is precisely why we must not turn back. If we back down here, then let alone the World FES…" 

Imai sighed. She looked tired. "I know that. I just thought that if it's strength we're lacking, or spells… Yukina, do you remember? That song your father sang once." 

"I remember," Minato said tersely. The group was hanging onto her next words, which didn't seem to be forthcoming. 

Imai tried again. "That's why I've been talking to you about going home. It's not a retreat. But we would be… regrouping. Gathering our strength. Although to be honest I think it would be more yours than mine, but that's because it's you, Yukina." 

"I… I can't go back yet. I'm not worthy of it, Lisa," Minato said, so soft as to be inaudible. 

Udagawa had been quiet, but now she finally burst out. "I don't really understand what you're talking about, but I just know you're the most talented, coolest, bestest bard I've ever met, and you can sing anything you want!" 

As Minato gawked at her, Shirokane said, "I-I think so, as well… I don't understand prosodic magic well, but… I can feel your passion… I think that's the most important part." 

Sayo hoped Minato wasn't expecting her to say something – until Minato, she'd always found bards half clowns, half con-men. And she was out of her depths with magic. So she looked at Imai and asked, "What does the song do?" 

"It puts monsters to sleep. Even one of that size." 

Sayo nodded. "Then it could be useful." Thinking quickly, she added, "No, it would be more than useful to have in our arsenal." 

"Ha, you couldn't add a little more oomph, Sayo?" Imai grinned impishly. She was more sober when she turned to Minato. "So, Yukina, what do you think? Isn't it worth at least a try?" 

It took a little more lengthy silence, but finally they were moving again. Exiting the valley, they came across a plain. A very green plains. Sheep milled about, watched over by sleepy boys. As Imai had said, it did not take long to reach the village. 

Sayo lumbered at the back of the group. She sometimes covered their retreat this way, but more than that, this way she escaped Imai's hawk eyes. Sayo would not become a liability. 

She also got to watch Minato's progressively tensing shoulders. Sayo couldn't bear it, normally, but she was willing to make allowances for grief. She had seen too many respectable people behave erratically in bereavement not to. 

Then Minato suddenly stopped before flock of sheep. Sayo was alert, hand on hilt. But there was nothing there but the sheep, and a man casually reclining on a tree. Minato was frozen, wouldn't even answer when Udagawa asked her what was wrong. Then finally the man looked up, and smiled. 

"If I'm not dreaming, that's my Yukina, come home at last," he said. He had a nice voice to go with his charming smile. Sayo caught herself thinking he was fair to look at, for a shepherd, and shoved the thought far away. 

Minato dipped her head awkwardly. "Father. I am… home. For now." 

Udagawa made a noise, but Imai acted quickly. No one else seemed to notice her. Sayo herself was still reeling. The man who was Minato's father, who was apparently alive all this time, nodded. "That's all right. Would you mind introducing me to your friends? After you help me with the sheep." 

Minato's father started first, and his daughter soon joined in the pastoral melody. It made Sayo think of home, of Hina, and earlier childhood days, when she must have been, what, happy. When Hina was less a source of aggravation, and more… 

Udagawa's coo broke through her thoughts. "But, wait, Lisa, I thought Yukina's father was dead!" 

"Ahaha, how do I say this… there's dead, and then there's dead…"

**Author's Note:**

> I can't be the only one who was blindsided when Yukina's father made an appearance in An Unfinished Song, healthy and whole.


End file.
